This year’s Dallas International Film Festival has quite a few interesting films that have direct ties to local residents. Their stories range from WWII suicide letters to jazz legends. It’s not too late to grab some tickets to enjoy what is shaping up to be one of the best DIFFs so far.
Here’s info on the local inspiration.
LET US DIE (Documentary) will world premiere with the incredible story of an antique desk that contained a collection of old German letters from World War II hidden inside a secret compartment. Years later, the owner, Dallas resident Tim Mallad, had the letters translated to discover they explained how, in the final days of the war, thousands of innocent German families took their own lives in fear of what the conquering Soviets would do to them. (The man and the desk are local)
FINDING SATOSHI (Documentary) has a group of passionate puzzle players trying without success to answer the question, “Who is this man?” with only a photograph and a name. The playful documentary finally solves the 14-year-old mystery, and features Highland Park High School graduate and Dallas native Laura E. Hall. WIRED magazine has a great piece with more of the story behind the film.
Executive produced by local legend herself, Erykah Badu, HARGROVE (Documentary) tells the up-close story of Jazz trumpet legend Roy Hargrove, deemed by his peers as a musical prophet. Following him on an award-winning tour from Los Angeles to Marseille in what would be the last year of his life, the film features interviews and live performances inclusive of musical icons Badu, Herbie Hancock, Mos Def, Robert Glasper, Wynton Marsalis, and Sonny Rollins. Hargrove attended Booker T. Washington High School, which will host the screening on his birthday, Oct. 16.
ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY (Documentary) is a nostalgic and colorful peek behind the pages and personalities of International Male, one of the most ubiquitous and sought-after mail-order catalogs of the 80s and 90s. The movie was written by Dallas’ own Rob Brinkley, Turtle Creek resident and former editor of PaperCity and FD, the style magazine of The Dallas Morning News.
ACIDMAN (Drama/Sci-Fi) stars Dianna Agron as Maggie and Texan Thomas Haden Church as her reclusive father. After a decade apart, the two awkwardly try to get to know one another against the backdrop of his obsession with UFOs and communicating with extraterrestrial beings. Older generations will remember Haden Church from his days as the lovable Lowell from the series WINGS, while younger generations will remember him from last year’s SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME as the Sandman.
FRAME OF MIND (Documentary), KERA’s acclaimed television program hosted by Dallas film legend Bart Weiss, will screen its best independent film and video from Texas-based filmmakers, including FLESH AND BONE, THE BARBER OF MAYDELLE, BIRDS, ZAPATERIA, EL FANTASMA, and NUT CRACKER.
